Systematic Review: White Matter Microstructural Organization in Adolescents With Depression

ObjectivesThere is a growing number of studies focusing on the neural mechanisms of depression. In our systematic review, we reviewed the literature to address the question of how white matter microstructural organization differs in adolescents with depressive disorders (any depressive disorder) as compared to typically developing adolescents.MethodsWe searched both PubMed and PsycINFO for peer-reviewed publications on July 21, 2021, using the following search terms: depress* and adolescen* and (diffusion or tensor or tractography or TBSS or tract-based spatial statistics). Our inclusion criteria for the selected articles were: 1) human participant studies of adolescents (ages 11-21 years) with any depressive disorder vs adolescents without depression; 2) diffusion tensor imaging or diffusion spectrum imaging; 3) articles written in English language; and 4) primary, original data papers.ResultsThe search yielded 544 unique records. A total of 67 records met the criteria for review of the full paper, of which 14 full-text papers were determined to meet the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. The studies used a range of analysis methods, and the results across studies were heterogeneous. The following tracts or white matter regions were reported to have altered microstructural organization (as measured using fractional anisotropy [FA]) in at least 2 studies: uncinate fasciculus, cingulum, anterior and superior corona radiata, anterior thalamic radiation, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, internal capsule, external capsule, and genu and body of the corpus callosum. The majority of the studies showed decreased FA in adolescents with MDD as compared to typically developing adolescents.ConclusionsOur systematic review suggested aberrant white matter microstructure in limbic-cortical-striatal-thalamic circuits as well as the corpus callosum in adolescents with depression. Future research could focus on developmental trajectories in adolescents with MDD as compared to typically developing controls, explore potential sources of heterogeneity in neuroimaging findings, and integrate findings with other imaging modalities, such as functional connectivity.DDD, IMAGS, OTH ObjectivesThere is a growing number of studies focusing on the neural mechanisms of depression. In our systematic review, we reviewed the literature to address the question of how white matter microstructural organization differs in adolescents with depressive disorders (any depressive disorder) as compared to typically developing adolescents. There is a growing number of studies focusing on the neural mechanisms of depression. In our systematic review, we reviewed the literature to address the question of how white matter microstructural organization differs in adolescents with depressive disorders (any depressive disorder) as compared to typically developing adolescents. MethodsWe searched both PubMed and PsycINFO for peer-reviewed publications on July 21, 2021, using the following search terms: depress* and adolescen* and (diffusion or tensor or tractography or TBSS or tract-based spatial statistics). Our inclusion criteria for the selected articles were: 1) human participant studies of adolescents (ages 11-21 years) with any depressive disorder vs adolescents without depression; 2) diffusion tensor imaging or diffusion spectrum imaging; 3) articles written in English language; and 4) primary, original data papers. We searched both PubMed and PsycINFO for peer-reviewed publications on July 21, 2021, using the following search terms: depress* and adolescen* and (diffusion or tensor or tractography or TBSS or tract-based spatial statistics). Our inclusion criteria for the selected articles were: 1) human participant studies of adolescents (ages 11-21 years) with any depressive disorder vs adolescents without depression; 2) diffusion tensor imaging or diffusion spectrum imaging; 3) articles written in English language; and 4) primary, original data papers. ResultsThe search yielded 544 unique records. A total of 67 records met the criteria for review of the full paper, of which 14 full-text papers were determined to meet the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. The studies used a range of analysis methods, and the results across studies were heterogeneous. The following tracts or white matter regions were reported to have altered microstructural organization (as measured using fractional anisotropy [FA]) in at least 2 studies: uncinate fasciculus, cingulum, anterior and superior corona radiata, anterior thalamic radiation, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, internal capsule, external capsule, and genu and body of the corpus callosum. The majority of the studies showed decreased FA in adolescents with MDD as compared to typically developing adolescents. The search yielded 544 unique records. A total of 67 records met the criteria for review of the full paper, of which 14 full-text papers were determined to meet the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. The studies used a range of analysis methods, and the results across studies were heterogeneous. The following tracts or white matter regions were reported to have altered microstructural organization (as measured using fractional anisotropy [FA]) in at least 2 studies: uncinate fasciculus, cingulum, anterior and superior corona radiata, anterior thalamic radiation, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, internal capsule, external capsule, and genu and body of the corpus callosum. The majority of the studies showed decreased FA in adolescents with MDD as compared to typically developing adolescents. ConclusionsOur systematic review suggested aberrant white matter microstructure in limbic-cortical-striatal-thalamic circuits as well as the corpus callosum in adolescents with depression. Future research could focus on developmental trajectories in adolescents with MDD as compared to typically developing controls, explore potential sources of heterogeneity in neuroimaging findings, and integrate findings with other imaging modalities, such as functional connectivity.DDD, IMAGS, OTH Our systematic review suggested aberrant white matter microstructure in limbic-cortical-striatal-thalamic circuits as well as the corpus callosum in adolescents with depression. Future research could focus on developmental trajectories in adolescents with MDD as compared to typically developing controls, explore potential sources of heterogeneity in neuroimaging findings, and integrate findings with other imaging modalities, such as functional connectivity.